Orange Soda Pop
by Rizza Harley
Summary: Reborn definitely wasn't willing to go back into the Sawada Household to see Tsunayoshi constantly on the defensive from his brother, Ienari, who was arrogant at best and abusive at worst - not after the last lifetime. It's too bad that he doesn't really check the facts first - something he's hitting himself over for after meeting the twins...who really aren't.
1. its the wrong damn kid

Reborn wanted to scowl. He was not fond of repeating the same sequence of events over and over and over again.

He had hoped. Oh how hard he had hoped. He wanted Tsuna to be an only child. If the boy was, then the hitman wouldn't have to deal with the headache known as his brother.

But no, Iemitsu couldn't keep his pants to himself. The idiot.

He couldn't really blame the CEDEF boss in that retrospect, though. It was probably at his wife's behest, and wasn't that something.

So with grudging reluctance, Reborn rang the doorbell, making a mental note to modify his training plans.

He really should've listened to Nono's words carefully.

"Reborn, I'd like for you to evaluate the Sawada siblings, and groom them into fine young Mafiosi."

In Reborn's mind, this meant he needed to choose one, and like hell would Iemitsu let him choose his little Tuna-fishy.

(When the brother arrived, it was after Iemitsu visited and done various things with his wife dearest. So when he returned a few years later, he assumed the newest addition to the family was due to that thing he did all those years ago. Suffice to say, the addition took this to his advantage and never corrected Iemitsu.

Said addition also recieved the blankest look ever from his brother, to which he shrugged at and replied, "Idiots will be idiots, why not go with it?" Which earned him a disbelieving look that the addition dutifully ignored.)

That left the brother. Sawada Ienari. Reborn's overall atmosphere grew colder as he remembered what that brat had brought about. He was the heir Iemitsu willingly offered Nono, again getting protective of his son. Nono had been slightly more wise than Reborn expected, however, choosing to ask Reborn to evaluate the brothers first before coming to any desicion.

In Reborn's personal opinion, Sawada Tsunayoshi was obviously the best bet. A good head on his shoulders, firm but kind, a diamond in the rough.

Sawada Ienari, on the other hand, he did not like. Not one bit.

He may have told Nono that he was going to evaluate the heirs fairly, but he himself already came to a desicion.

(Too bad he made the mistake of not reading the files. Sawada Tsunayoshi was not at all what he was in a previous lifetime. This Tsunayoshi was slightly more sassy, more firm, due to the walking ticking time bomb known as his brother.

Sawada Ienari, unlike his previous iteration, was completely anti-social, not at all expressive, had an IQ that rivaled Shouichi's, did not possess Sky Flames (despite what Iemitsu seemed to assume), and most of all, was not at all related to the Sawadas in any shape or form.

He was lucky enough to have been found by a younger Tsuna hiding in an alley, bleeding profusely beside a shattered pair of glasses, and wearing the most ridiculous set of clothing Tsuna's ever witnessed in his lifetime.)

Ringing the doorbell, he mentally prepared himself not to react to a certain heir's beat-up, a brother's taunting comments, a mother's blissful ignorance, and a fully dysfunctional family.

He did not expect a piercing orangeorangeorange stare of a thirteen year old boy, weary and alert, with platinum blond hair that far out classed Iemitsu's dirty blond.

Here, staring at this boy (this couldn't be Tsuna, this was Ienari and what the fuck?!) Reborn realized with growing dread, that this particular journey would be far, far different than the one he remembered.

(He ignored the growing hope in his stomach that this brother would not be the same as his previous iteration.)


	2. definitely not him

Sawada Ienari...did not possess Sky Flames. The boy was too skittish, too out of balance, too territorial to be a sky.

Reborn only confirmed this fact when in a particular flame training session, he had both Tsuna and Ienari summon their flames.

(If he was surprised to learn Tsuna had been accessing his flames easily before he had arrived, he was going to fall out of his chair in shock when he registered the color of Ienari's flames.)

Purple. The boy was a _Cloud_.

This wasn't making any sense and Reborn was especially unprepared for this. He was going to have to revise his plans.

And he didn't know whether to put Iemitsu on his hitlist or not. On one hand, he needed some stress relief and Iemitsu was the best bet because like hell was he taking out his frustration on two ususpecting boys. On the other, he couldn't fault the CEDEF boss, he'd sent Reborn the correct information, albeit a bit exaggerated, but it was fairly accurate. It was Reborn's own undoing that he didn't read the files.

Tsunayoshi was vastly different from his previous counterpart, yet almost the same. He was still kind and gentle, but there was a firm steel like resolve that made itself known when there was something he disagreed with entirely.

(He had experienced this first hand when Ienari was about to go out of the house for some reason. He had watched as the brothers had an intese stare down until Ienari turned away and trudged up the staircase, leaving a triumphantly smiling Tsuna and a startled Reborn.)

He was also a fairly good cook as Maman tended to leave the house a lot. The boys didn't seem to mind this, it was like they were the ones who insisted she go out all the time. They reasoned it as a mini-vacation, a time for herself and such.

Ienari, again, was completely different from what Reborn remembered. The Ienari he had met a lifetime ago was harsh, cold, and very much hated being around his brother. This Ienari wasn't cold, just distant. Wasn't arrogant, but tended to show off a little (always reprimanded by Tsuna if it got a lot worse). He wasn't intentionally harsh, as explained by Tsuna, he just couldn't deal with people he didn't trust, much like Hibari. He didn't hate Tsuna.

Ienari hated himself, as untrue as it sounded to Reborn.

The brothers didn't tell Reborn outright. It was personal, and Reborn could respect that. So he observed a little more.

He noticed a certain habit of Ienari's. One that tended to put others, like his brother, on a pedestal. It wasn't obvious in anyway, expertly hidden in casually arrogant remarks, meant to throw people off and avoid him like the plague if they didn't like his attitude. Ienari was uncomfortable being around other human beings, as strange as that sounded. Reborn confirmed this fact when they were asked to go shopping on Tsunayoshi's behest.

Reborn immediately took note of the way Ienari's shoulders tensing as they neared the crowded shopping district. He looked as if he was preparing for a battle, his shoulders set back, fist clenching lightly and back straight. It was weird, for a civillian.

Then came Ienari's interactions with schoolmates. When female students flirted with him, Ienari looked really uncomfortable. Like he didn't know how to deal with being flirted with. He seemed perfectly fine getting others flustered, which set off a warning bell in Reborn's head. Able to flirt, but not knowing how to counter one. Curious.


	3. not made for it

"I'd like for you to test both the candidates out. Vongola is counting on you, Smoking Bomb."

He had never packed so quickly in his life.

The first thing that popped into Gokudera Hayato's mind, when it came to the candidates as soon as he saw the twins, wasn't pretty.

They looked so weak, so civillian, so _free_. It irritated him, because he never had a chance to not care about fame, about prestige, about being accepted.

But here these two were, going about their lives as if they never had anything to worry about.

(Distantly, in the future, Hayato stares blankly at a blonde man passed out over a black box.

In this case, his boss – one of them for the other would never get up not now not ever – didn't have much to worry about anymore.

And that fact _terrifies_ Hayato, because Ienari only functioned properly when he had something to fuss over.

Seeing him like this. It hurt. It hurt _so damn much_ because Hayato could have done something, anything, to prevent this.

He hadn't seen it coming.

And he curses himself for it.)

Hayato's lips pulled into a sneer when the two brothers began walking back from school. Apparently there had been a minor scuffle with some idiot captain over a woman which ended with the older sibling (who had been covering for his brother) having even more fangirls that had them both paling.

(Unluckily for this world's Tsunayoshi, Ienari never _did_ unseal his overpowered abilities and accidentally broke the seal placed so long ago when his newly discovered flames sought out the brunette's.

This lead to releasing all the potential and intuition young Tsunayoshi held within, which in turn reversed his Sky Harmony effect back to the way it was before. Drawing in everyone around him and falling for his genuine charm.

Resulting in rather hectic holidays and avoiding swim classes because of the dreaded...er, _admiration_ , the school had of them both.)

They were pathetic. What was Vongola thinking, naming two civillian brats possible candidates to the family?

It didn't matter. Hayato would _show_ them how delusional they were.


	4. the first time

The first time Ienari watched as Tsunayoshi was shot by a bullet, he nearly lost it.

But then it had brought out Tsuna's flames, and suddenly he didn't have to worry anymore. Sure, okay, seeing his brother naked wasn't exactly on the top on his list of priorites (nor would it ever be for that matter) but everything was alright. He would probably ask Reborn what that bullet was and might try to steal one to examine it with Shoichi, but other than that Tsuna's flames unconciously assured his own that he was alright, there was nothing to worry about.

Ienari made sure to cover his brother with the jacket once it was over, though, fully intent on ignoring the unconcious form of Mochida Kensuke lying there. Tsuna accepted his jacket with a grateful smile.

Then he. Well. Ienari wasn't sure how to explain this but Tsunayoshi had somehow sneezed the bullet though it had clearly entered smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Reborn was good...

He still had a lot of explaining to do.

"So, Reborn-san. What was this about?" Tsuna smiled sweetly at Reborn who held the urge to shudder. They were heading home now, after being lectured by Hibari for a good long while.

"It's a Dying Will bullet. It enables the person to move past their limits in order to achieve their goal."

"It would have killed Tsuna if he didn't have a goal, wouldn't it?" Ienari's stare is blanker than ever.

Reborn smirked, and Leon was in his hand.

"Would you like to test it out?"

"Fuck no. And that's really stupid." Ienari huffs and continued walking. Tsuna nodded in consent.

"No kidding. Who would actually try to use something that would kill you instantly if certain criteria were unmet?" Tsuna grimaced.

Reborn carefully did not twitch from where he sat on Ienari's shoulder.


	5. canine tendencies

Meeting Gokudera was...highly explosive, in Tsuna's humble opinion. And yet it all resulted the boy being invited over for dinner, Reborn reading the newspaper, Nana humming cheerfully having kicked Tsuna out, and the brunette lightly tapping the table with his fingers in rapid succession.

Ienari looked up from his book and smirked. "Look on the bright side, big bro," he told him smugly. "You got yourself the puppy you wanted."

Tsuna glared at his oh so wonderful darling little brother. "You suck," he maturely replied, pouting at the mirth barely being contained in Ienari's eyes.

Gokudera watched this exchange with adoring eyes. If you squinted, you would have been able to imagin two floppy ears on the teen's head and a tail behind him waving around viciously. Very subtly, Reborn snorted.

Puppy indeed.


	6. story of your life gone wrong

There had been a point in time when Takeshi clearly remembered Sawada pointedly not being a sibling. Especially to one a year younger than he was. Takeshi prided himself in knowing each and every kid in Namimori, personally or not.

And he quite clearly did not remember Sawada Ienari - at any point - being in Namimori Daycare.

But they weren't Takeshi's problem. As long as he knew who everyone was, it would be fine.

Then it very much was not.

The Sawada Siblings were popular. No one denied that. From Tsunayoshi's genuine charm to how Ienari seemed to be a subtle tsundere (fangirls were terrifying that way) it was a fact the town had accepted.

So Takeshi was understandably confused when the incidents and mishaps –that seemed to have both Sawadas at the root of it– made no effect to their popularity at school.

Takeshi suspected mind altering, as far-fetched as that sounded, but everyone clearly remembered the incidents and thought nothing better of it.

It was confusing.

It wasn't like Takeshi was resentful of them for it. Really, he wasn't. It was just...weird. Different.

In the end Takeshi decided the Sawada brothers must have had some special ability in check. A passive one, maybe, but still. An ability to redirect any attention on you for certain things about you...must be nice.

This lead to him helping Tsuna out with cleaning. And asking him for advice. His batting average was steadily declining, his teammates keep on pressuring him to get better, his dad had an influx of customers at their restaurant, and –

"– I just don't know what to do!" Takeshi is ranting now, not that he notices, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. He then proceeds to run his hand through his hair, tugging at it.

Tsuna doesn't respond for a moment, staring into space. Then he opens his mouth.

"Y'know, Ienari constantly hides in the closet."

Takeshi was so startled by the strangeness of the response that he just blinks stupidly at the brunette. But Tsuna continues.

"Its sometimes because he's had too much social interaction. Sometimes its from a nightmare. Sometimes its because of guilt."

"...guilt?"

"Yeah. I remember once, we were ten, I was reprimanding Nari over sleeping at 4 AM and waking up 7:30, three and a half hours later, because he was finishing a personal project."

"That seems...extremely stupid."

"Oh, yes, it was. He knew that. Still slept late anyway. I used to think it was insomnia, which was true the first few months I met him, but it got better over time so I knew his excuse was - pardon my language - bullshit."

Takeshi stayed silent. (He's reminded of that one time his dad telling him to take it easy. Reminded of how he brushed off his dad's worries. He's...a bit guilty now.)

"He hid in the closet for twelve hours sulking. Well, for the first two hours anyway. After that he fell asleep. Mom and I had to take him out to settle him on the bed."

Huh. That was. Really interesting.

"Think of that what you will, Yamamoto-san." Tsuna returned the broom from where he had obtained it from and picked his bag up.

Takeshi was watching him walk to the exit. Then, Tsuna eyed him warily.

"...try not to do anything stupendously idiotic."

(Thanks to Ienari's rather colorful vocabulary -no that did not just include his wide array of swear words - Tsuna's creativeness in wording had increased admirably and he was now able to continuously create varying degrees of insults before he ran out of steam. As Ienari had put it,

"If you know a wide array of nouns and adjectives, its fairly easy to combine some of them with average words."

Years in the future, Ienari would thank every deity available that he had taught Tsuna to veil insults with diplomatic excellency.

Reborn would continue to sulk in the corner. He had been looking forward to beating them up for communication incompetence.)

Takeshi nodded slowly, even as Tsuna left him alone.

Huh.

 _That's a lot to think about..._

* * *

Hi. Yea, I'm alive. Try not to shit yourselves - oh. Wait. Wrong fic...nevermind. I'm back! This is your daily Author Note from yours truly.

I don't really have a good explanation as to why I've not been up to date with this story for so long. I'm already at least 5 chapters ahead in Wattpad's version. But yeah I hope you like this one! See you in a week! (Maybe.)


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